The world certainly is full of strife, uncertainty, death, destruction and so much more. However, as a mother of a daughter who is engaged to a pilot in the military it takes on a new dimension of hypervigilance watching the news. What do you do? We start each day knowing that we love our country and honor the men and women who are serving in the military. Serving means so much more these days with costs for these soldiers, sailors, airmen, spacemen and marines hitting them hard with increased housing and food prices as the tip of the iceberg. The stress of constant hurry up and wait as orders change due to the changing world. The stress on their families and their children being away from their loved ones. Yet mission is what this is all about to those serving in the military. The mission to protect this great country. To provide the freedom of speech, the ability to gather, the right to criticize is what drives these men and women to do what they do. So, please stop on Veterans Day and find a way to thank those that have served and those that are serving now. Call a family member that may have served in the past and say they are appreciated. Donate to a veteran’s cause – there are many. Tell that company that has military discount you appreciate them for helping the current military families’ that serve make it. Honor. Dignity. Commitment. Courage. Sacrifice. Just a few attributes that describe active, deceased, and retired military personnel’s service.

I grew up drawing soda cans and cereal boxes – anything that had type on it was an inspiration. Not that I expected to make a living selling renderings of gum wrappers, but still, the challenge of drawing each letter form with great precision – well, (nerd alert), that was my idea of fun. As an art major I took the fundamental courses: Sculpture – not my thing. Ceramics – not my thing. Painting – definitely not my thing. Graphic Design – now THAT was my thing! We painted letters by hand, did exercises making words visually represent their meanings, and formatted hundreds of pages of poems and short stories. I was in heaven. The professor who ran the design center was an Irish hippy. Her laugh was infectious and could be heard throughout the halls. She told crazy stories, loved to have dance parties and could drink her fair share of beer. She had a wealth of knowledge and was a well-respected expert in the field. She had a mystical energy about her that made us as students want to do our best. And then, do even better. She expected us to work hard and excel, and we did. Not because she intimidated or threatened us, but because she respected us. And for that, we respected her. She allowed us to be ourselves and she worked along side us, collaborating and guiding us while letting us grow and become independent and confident in our own skills. We spent most of our free time at the design center because we wanted to be there. We formed a community. We played music. We had midnight chair races down the hall. And, we worked our butts off. This was the environment in which we learned and thrived. I think of how that relates to a lot of work environments I’ve experienced – cubicles, silence, dress codes and uncomfortable shoes, office politics, layers upon layers of management, punching in and punching out, meetings to schedule meetings about scheduling meetings. It doesn’t surprise me that after the pandemic and getting a taste of working from home and the freedom it entails, so many people want a break from that rigidity. I also think about 30 years ago, and being in a workplace where I didn’t want anyone to know I was gay because I feared I would lose my job. The simple Monday morning question of “What did you do this weekend?” would send me spinning into an anxiety attack – how do I craft my answer to change pronouns or avoid them all together? How vague can I be without being obvious? It was exhausting. It was stifling. It was not at all inspiring. When I finally felt safe enough to come out at work, it was absolutely liberating. I began to love my job, the quality of my work improved and I was invested at an entirely different level. I realize that structure in a work place is important, and needed. But I also realize that people are unique and they have different ways of working – there is no one-size-fits-all work environment. The most creative work comes out of cultures where individuals are met where they’re at and are given the freedom to be themselves fully. Where they are nurtured and mentored. Where they feel respected and appreciated. And where they are trusted to do their work in a style that works for them, without being micromanaged. When it comes to design, my philosophy has always been: less is more, keep it simple and clean don’t add a flourish just for the sake of filling the page attention to detail is key white space is effective and needed I believe those same principles can be applied to work culture: don’t over-complicate the process rules just for the sake of having them are not helpful sometimes it’s the little things that matter most people need room to grow and the freedom to be who they are Because our differences make us stronger, and at the end of the day, if we’re doing great work, does it really matter if we’re wearing dress shoes or flip flops? Tammy Collins-Sammons Chief Design Officer

“The Great Resignation,” “The Great Attrition,” “The Great Rethink” – our country and the entire world economy is wrestling to come to grips with the rapidly changing labor market and the seemingly unending labor shortage. At first, many analysts and commentators served up the quick-and-easy explanation: it’s the pandemic. Uprooting lives, forcing furloughs and early retirements, turning our lives and culture of normalcy upside down – the pandemic was the clear and evident reason for the overwhelming wave of resignations that created our current labor shortage. Clearly the pandemic’s fault…right? And yet, even as the looming shadows of inflation and war stretch across our world, this “Great Resignation” shows no signs at all of slowing down. In fact, it seems more like gas is being poured on the fire! In our country, the rate of workers leaving their jobs has remained steady at a hefty 4+ million resignations a month so far this year, easily keeping pace with last year’s pandemic fueled numbers and continuing to dwarf pre-pandemic averages. Friends, this isn’t simply a ‘pandemic’ problem. We are facing the surfacing trauma from decades of a broken and lifeless workplace culture all across our country. According to recent reports from Microsoft and McKinsey and Co., over 40% of workers are considering stepping away from their jobs in the next 3 to 6 months….despite skyrocketing inflation and an economic slowdown. The pandemic may have finally brought things to a head, but the issue and labor shortage is real, ongoing, and it’s not going anywhere until the underlying brokenness is addressed. Employers and their HR departments have been scrambling to find quick answers to attract employees and to make them ‘stick’. The current labor market has turned positions into revolving doors, with employees entering and then jumping ship for new and better opportunities soon afterwards – that is, if they even show up to their first day at a new employer at all. As the McKinsey report frames the problem: “Employers continue to rely on traditional levers to attract and retain people, including compensation, titles, and advancement opportunities…However, the COVID-19 pandemic has led more and more people to reevaluate what they want from a job—and from life—which is creating a large pool of active and potential workers who are shunning the traditionalist path.” Ultimately, we are facing a culture problem, not simply a pay, benefits, or vacation days problem. For far too long, employers have treated their employees as just that – employees and worker bees instead of people enmeshed in lives, relationships, communities. To create attractive and thriving workplaces, the sort of environments that attract and retain employees, employers have to transform their culture and put community back at the center of their workplaces. People are searching for far more than better pay and fancier titles. People are searching for meaning, for purpose, and for the freedom to nurture and care for themselves and their families – all so they can thrive and flourish as people and as employees! Employers need to begin creating such environments by reframing how they view their employees, treating them as people they are in a relationship with rather than as expendable machines paid solely to produce “x” amount of product or experience each day. The wild truth is, if we begin to put community at the heart of our workplaces, then our companies and our employees will thrive together! People are searching for workplaces that step into relationships with them and create a culture of shared purpose, mutual support, growth and flexibility (because most of life – sick pets, young children who need more attention, depression, and family caretaking – isn’t something that we can schedule with an 8 to 5 rigidity). Employees want the space and option to just “get the job done” when other things are drawing on their emotional energy, as well as the knowledge that they will be supported in their pursuit to grow and engage in career advancing skills when they have the time and energy to give work their all. If employers are willing to cultivate a community culture, wherein employees are able and encouraged to build mutual relationships with one another and their supervisors, then just maybe recruiting new employees and making positions “sticky” will become a real possibility. Valuing community in the workplace by creating an environment of support, respect and care will also pay dividends outside of the workplace as well! Making community the heart of the modern workplace will have a ripple effect, building healthier lives for employees and thus creating healthier local communities. Businesses can benefit themselves and the local communities that they are grounded in by valuing their employees and building relational teamwork, flexibility to care for self and family, and opportunities for growth and advancement into their workplace cultures. Shaping the workplace around the values of relational community has the potential to transform our wildly unbalanced labor market while simultaneously renewing our local communities by pouring life and energy back into individuals and their families. First Revolution Marketing is putting the “relations” back in HR in an effort to transform the modern workplace toward a flourishing future for our people, our community, and our business. We hope that others follow suit! Dr. Anthony Purcell Chaplain